By Alexander Rico
(Former T4J Staff Member)
“Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you are also being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:19-22, NKJV)
Christ our cornerstone? Built upon the foundation of the prophets and apostles? What is Paul trying to tell both us and those who this letter was originally written to there in the church of Ephesus? Well, it is first interesting to look at how he addresses the believers there, as well as us. He tells them, and us, that we are no longer strangers (Ref: Ephesians 2:12), no longer in opposition to those already in the household of God. But, that we (as believers) are fellow citizens united together through His blood. Notice here that Paul is speaking to both the Jews and Gentiles, which were reconciled to God and made into His household. In other words, those who had accepted Christ’s sacrifice (sinners who have repented of their sin) and have submitted to God’s mastery or Lordship over them; a child of God. This building, this house where saved Jews and Gentles are spoken to be apart with Christ is not the type of building that was seen at the time. Paul was not speaking of the Jewish type of temples, big and filled with beautiful splendor in gold and other such materials; nope, he was rather speaking of a temple that was spiritual more than physical. A temple that was spoken of in 1 Corinthians 3:16 when it states that, “You are God’s temple and the Spirit of God is living within you.” We are the temple of God. We are the place that God resides within. Where He commences the great work on us, and changes us and molds us into the people that He wishes for us to be.
We also read here that this mentioned temple is built upon the foundation of the prophets and apostles of both the Old and New Testament, which they laid out for us to be the main focus and subject in our lives today. What is this subject and focus? Well, as we have read further on in this verse, “Jesus Christ Himself being the Chief Cornerstone,” the main point that holds the entire structure together. In today’s society, we use what are called, “capstones” to mark the date and time to which a building was completed, or the central location to which a building was founded upon or built up from. We know this, as Christians, to be Christ. For see, without Christ, and His sacrifice we would not have this message to share, nor would we have any reason at all to celebrate. We would be yet still in sin, and in a state of eternal separation from the Father, God. So it is Christ who is our capstone, our marker for what it is that we are doing this day; and, it is through Him that we are brought together as a body of believers and that we are still held together by this cornerstone, being fitted in place with Him.
How many of you have ever played Jenga? For those of you who have never had an opportunity to play, it is a game where you have this tower and you and another player slowly remove these little blocks from the tower until it finally topples over. When I play, I try not to take pieces that are on the bottom or on the corner slots of the tower. Why? Well, I know that if I was to remove the corner central piece the entire tower could fall. Because each individual block is intertwined with another one. Each one holds the other together. Same goes for 3-D puzzles. There are pieces that hold the entire puzzle together, and one accidental slip of that piece could mean utter destruction of your puzzle. Each of us is built upon Christ, our foundation, our central piece. If we were to remove Christ, the entire building would crumble.
However, unlike a physical building, we read here that this building is of spiritual growth, like a living organism and most assuredly not in mere additions as with a house or Wal-Mart. How can this be? Well, through our time of study in the Word we tend to grow and mature in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. As we learn, we grow, and as we go through situations we grow. You never see a Wal-Mart go, “well, it sure is raining, perhaps today I will grow a patio over the front entrance to keep the customers happy and dry.” A building cannot grow as we can grow, and continue to grow deeper in our relationships with God. Buildings are typically restricted to the amount of space they have to expand, we are not. We can grow, and grow, and grow! God has made His dwelling place within us, and is daily instructing us and molding us into the people He wishes and desires for us to be. What are we doing now as living and holy temples of God? Are we abusing the bodies that God has given to us? Are we attempting to be good servants of the body that God has given to us? Or, are we abusing it, and misusing it for purposes that these fleshly cases were not made to handle?
I once read this story about a little girl, see this little girl had just lost a beloved kitten and her mother was attempting to comfort her. “Remember, dear, Fluffy is up in heaven now with God.” “But mommy,” the little girl sobbed. “What in the world would God want with a dead cat?”
Let us ask ourselves a similar question, what would God want with a dead and abused body? What could God use this fleshly case for if we are constantly abusing it? If we are living lives opposite of what we are called to; please, this day make the commitment to rekindle that relationship, that desire, that urge to follow after Christ and place him as your main focus rather than those things of today’s world that may bring you pleasure or delight as far as physically and focus back on growing and expanding the temple of God, as so that, you may call others to the same relationship.
Perhaps today you are reading this, and you do not have a relationship with the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Then, what not a better time to make that commitment than now; the last section of 2 Corinthians 6:2 states, “Behold now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” There is no greater time like there is now to make that commitment and decision to follow after Him.
If you would like to accept the gift of life that God gave to us through His one and only Son, Jesus Christ; then, please make that decision today to follow Him for the rest of your life it will not be one that you will regret. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13, NKJV) Sure, I am not going to lie, the road ahead will be bumpy; however, it will be a great blessing that you nor anyone else could ever experience on this world. If you’d like to accept Christ today; then, by all means please join me in this simple prayer asking Jesus into your heart, mind, and soul.
Repeat after me, “Lord Jesus, please forgive me of my sins. I thank-you for giving me the gift of life through your death on the hill of Calvary on that rugged, and splintered cross. Thank-you that you loved me enough to even think of me as your child and still give me this gift of life despite my sinful life and abuse of your holy temple. I accept your sacrifice and give my entire life over to you. Thank-you. In your precious name I pray, amen.”
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